Seahawks in the playoffs: Whatever happens Saturday, embrace this moment

The following guest post was written by Sean Quinton, a local journalist and former sportwriting intern at seattlepi.com. Seattlepi.com is pleased to publish the opinions of everyday sports fans. Want to write a guest post for one of the sports blogs? Anyone and everyone is welcome to apply by emailing nickeaton@seattlepi.com.

Seahawks fans run out of the tunnel holding 12th Man flags before Seattle’s final regular-season game Dec. 29 against the Rams at CenturyLink Field. (Elaine Thompson/AP Photo)

When I was 10, all I wanted for Christmas was a Razor scooter. All the other kids in my neighborhood had their own, and they would zip around together like some kind of exclusive scooter gang. I wanted in.

On Christmas morning, I woke up well before dawn – an ungodly hour reserved only for special circumstances – and proceeded to carefully rifle through an assortment of neatly stacked presents. Later that day, after every inch of wrapping paper had been dismantled, I was still scooter-less.

I sat there, content with my haul, but still a bit disappointed – until the doorbell rang, and there stood a glistening silver scooter in all of its glory.

The scooter was fun for a little while; it turned out to be unpractical in the midst of a Seattle winter. But my true glee was in that moment of unexpected revelation. Above all else, it was the anticipation that stood out.

The principle holds true in many things. It’s why we laugh when tickled, it’s why we shriek at horror movies, or why we quiver leading up to a first date. Best of all, it applies to sports. The allure of the unexpected is why we watch, and ultimately, why we care.

For Seattle Seahawks fans, the anticipation has nearly reached its crux. The expectations began mounting as soon as last season ended in heart-wrenching fashion, and have continued to climb higher with each of the team’s 13 victories in 2013.

On the eve of their third playoff appearance in four years, the Seahawks will put those championship expectations to the test on Saturday afternoon against the New Orleans Saints in front of 67,000 anxious fans at CenturyLink Field. The Hawks will win or they’ll lose; that much is certain. The rest is left unknown — a blank canvas of football lore ready to be written.

A 12th Man flag is prepared to be raised at the Washington state Capitol on Wednesday in Olympia. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)

Logically, it seems the Seahawks have the horses to knock off the Saints, as they did earlier this season in a 34-7 systematic dismantling of Drew Brees’ high-octane offense and Rex Ryan’s blitz-happy defense.

The Seahawks match up well in nearly every facet, save for the Saints’ behemoth tight end, Jimmy Graham. Add to that a home-field advantage which has yielded only one loss in the last 16 contests, and it’s likely Seattle’s brash bunch will be dancing their way one step closer to New York on Saturday afternoon.

But don’t exhale just yet; this is the NFL. If there’s one thing last weekend’s wild-card playoff round taught us, it’s that logic doesn’t always hold true in a league which has thrived upon the unexpected.

Certainly no one expected the Indianapolis Colts to post 35 second-half points against the steady defense of the Kansas City Chiefs, mounting one of the greatest playoff comebacks of all time. And few expected the under-the-radar San Diego Chargers to dust off the third-seeded Cincinnati Bengals.

If there’s one thing that you can count on in the NFL, it’s to expect the unexpected.

In a city bereft of sports glory, the anticipation is palpable. Blue 12th Man flags and Russell Wilson jerseys have draped the city in blue, all in preparation for what could be the most memorable sports month Seattle has ever seen.

Whatever happens, embrace this moment. Let it override any lingering pessimism that comes standard with any Seattle fanhood. The anticipation is what we live for; it’s what makes that scooter on the front porch so exhilarating.

Only this time, when the anticipation boils over and the doorbell rings, let’s hope a Super Bowl is on the other side.

Former Mariners star Jay Buhner pumps up the crowd after he raised the 12th Man flag at the Seahawks-Rams game Dec. 29 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson/AP Photo)